‘Inherently unstable’ wall blamed for death of Keane Wallis-bennett

● ‘No reasonable precautions’ could have avoided fatal accident at school

Nopupilshouldhaveto“shoulder any responsibility or burden” for the tragic death of a schoolgirl who was crushed by a falling wall, an inquiry has ruled.

There was “no reasonable precaution” which could have been taken to avoid Keane Wallis-bennett’s death, the hearing concluded.

The 12-year-old died at Liberton High School, Edinburgh, in April 2014 after a freestanding “modesty” wall in the school’s old PE block fell on her.

Sheriff Principal Mhairi Stephen QC – who presided over a two-week Fatal Accident in June – yesterday concluded that the wall which fell was “inherently unstable”.

The judge stated that while the “innocent high-spirited behaviour” of pupils bracing against it provided sufficient force to push the wall past its tipping point, the “real cause” of the tragedy was the structure’s unstable nature.

In her written determination, she said: “That instability was caused by the alignment of two main factors: firstly, the design and construction of the wall and secondly, due to the wall being cracked along its horizontal plane.

“The wall separated close to its base and had been cracked at the separation plane for a

0 Keane Wallis-bennett died when a ‘modesty wall’ collapsed and fell on her at Liberton High School ing masonry walls had been made clear throughout the inquiry. She advised “reasonable steps” should be taken to assess the risk of continued use of such walls.

The inquiry was attended by various members of Keane’s family, including her mother, Abbie Wallis, and father, Clark Bennett.

Mr Bennett said yesterday’s determination was a “small step forward” but added there was more to be done.